


The Dating Deal

by VyeLoyomBrightwarrior



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Rumbelle - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 04:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4376537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VyeLoyomBrightwarrior/pseuds/VyeLoyomBrightwarrior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle is being hit on by Gary when she's saved. But her savior is no white knight and soon she finds herself fake dating the most feared kid in school. But naturally Pearce Gold is hiding some secrets, and when Belle starts to realize that she begins to wish they weren't fake dating. She starts to want to date him for real.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Deal

“Hey baby,” Gary says from behind. She whirls around to find the jock standing there giving her a look that most definitely makes her feel uncomfortable. A quick look around shows that they’re the only two still in the hallway. This can’t be good.

“I don’t answer to baby,” she informs him as she tries to move past him.

“What if you were my baby?” he questions, gripping her arm to keep her from leaving. This is not going well at all.

“I already have a boyfriend,” she lies after realizing that he probably won’t accept any other answer. “And I’m actually going to be late for my date, so if you’ll excuse me…” she attempts to break free of his hold. He only grips tighter.

“Who are you dating?” he questions, looking as though he is prepared to beat up whoever she names. There’s one big problem here. The only boys she really knows are dating other people with the exception of Archie. However, she really doesn’t want Archie to get pummeled to death.

“None of your business,” she states instead. He still won’t let her go.

“I’ve just made it my business baby,” he tells her. “And if you don’t tell me who it is, I’ll just assume you don’t have one and take you home with me.” As sheltered as she is, even Belle doesn’t miss this innuendo. Fear grips her as she realizes fighting back would be virtually useless.

“Let her go,” comes a strong confident voice from behind. Gary’s gripping her so tightly that she can’t even turn to see who it is.

“I didn’t think you’d care,” he states, seeming actually a bit frightened.

“Well seeing as your brain barely consists of a single cell, I’m not surprised,” comes the sarcastic retort that has the jock turning white. “Now let my girl go,” her mysterious rescuer demands. Gary lets go of her instantly and she stumbles back. A second later a strong comforting arm wraps around her shoulder from her right.

“I’m sorry,” Gary apologizes as Belle tries to wrap her head around what’s going on.

“You should be,” the boy states coldly. “Now leave before you do more damage and I decide to make the rest of this year a living hell for you.” Gary dashes off as fast as his legs will carry him. The instant he disappears, Bell’s rescuer let’s go of her. She turns to get a good look at him and is stunned to see Pearce Gold standing a few feet away leaning on his battered old cane.

“What do you want?” is the first thing she can think to say. After all, Pearce never does anything without expecting something in return. He regards her coldly wearing a small smirk.

“It seems to me you’re the one who wants something,” he tells her. “I mean, wouldn’t it be rather odd if we broke up the day after he found out we’re dating?” He’s right of course. Her skin crawls at the thought of dating Gold, but it seems she has no choice. And it’s not even her price.

“So, what do you want in return for dating me?” she questions in a resigned sort of way. For the first time ever, Gold looks rather taken aback.

“We’re not going to date for real,” he tells her as though that should have been obvious. “It will naturally be completely fake. I have neither the time nor desire for a real relationship.” Belle sighs in relief. That sounds much better than what she was envisioning. “Now as for the price, I believe your father collects some interesting objects. In fact, there is a cane that I have heard him speak of. I want that. And don’t tell me you can’t get it. Your father adores you and would give you anything you ask.”

“You’re right,” she admits, wondering how he knows so much about her. Then again, Pearce Gold knows everything about everyone. “I’ll get you that cane.”

“I expect it in either a month or whenever you decide that I have fulfilled my end of the bargain, whichever comes first,” he orders. She nods in agreement. It sounds reasonable enough, but all of Gold’s deals sound reasonable at first. She’s heard all the stories. She knows. “Now we will need to make up a story for how we started dating,” he tells her. She frowns, realizing he’s right.

“We could exchange phone numbers and discuss this over text,” she suggests, wanting desperately to get out of his presence.

“That sounds agreeable,” he states, reaching into his pocket to pull out a business card. Belle is shocked. What high school student makes his own business cards? She accepts it anyways, slipping it into her purse.

“I’ll text you later tonight,” she promises, more than ready to get out of here.

“Very well,” he replies before walking past her to the door. She is left in the middle of the hallway with her head spinning. She just made a deal with Pearce Gold. She’s in so much trouble.

* * *

 

He comes into his dark room, glancing at the clock that reads 1:17. Looks like he’ll be getting to bed early tonight, which is good because he has a math test tomorrow. He moves toward his dresser to find his pajamas when he realizes something is off. He turns back to the door just as the person standing there flips on the light. Fear grips him for an instant only to be replaced by annoyance as he regards his younger brother.

“Where do you go each afternoon?” Neal asks him. Great. This again.

“That’s not really any concern of yours,” he states in the cool voice he’s become accustomed to. He likes it because it makes everyone leave him alone. Well, everyone except Neal of course.

“Yes it is,” Neal protests. “You’re never home.” He hates that. He really does. He knows he should be here for Neal, but he can’t. Not if his master plan is going to come into fruition.

“You can always call me if you need something,” he tells his brother as he tosses his backpack on the ground next to his bed, playing at being nonchalant. He loves Neal desperately, but he’d figured out long ago that it was better for everyone if he didn’t get too close to his little brother.

“I need you,” Neal argues back making his heart clench painfully in his chest. But it’s not true. Neal has plenty of friends. Neal has their parents and teachers and countless other people who love him and would do anything for him. The last thing he needs is his delinquent brother. He’d just be a bad influence on the innocent naïve boy.

“Go to bed Neal,” he states as he pulls his pajamas out of the dresser, refusing to look at the boy demanding his attention. It’s something he can’t give no matter how much he wants to. Neal would never understand.

“I feel like I don’t even know you,” Neal says as though it should be a cause for concern.

“You don’t” he affirms, pulling out his phone now so he can continue avoiding his brother’s pleading stare. He knows if he looks he’ll give in and that is something he can’t let happen. Not now that he’s so close. The door closes and he turns, seeing Neal has left. He sighs, collapsing onto his bed next to the pajamas. He looks down at his phone and is surprised to see that he’d pulled up the text conversation with Belle when he’d been fiddling with it. It’s probably a good thing though. He needs to memorize the details.

“She was in the library, climbing up a latter to try and reach a book on the top shelf…"

* * *

 

“…but the book was a little too far to the left,” Belle tells Ruby and Mary-Margret as they walk to class. She wishes she could tell them the truth, but Ruby tends to gab about everything, and she can’t risk this getting out. So here she is, lying to her friends.

“So you fell,” Ruby guesses, still sounding annoyed. She hadn’t liked it one bit when she’d found out Belle was now dating Gold. Belle doesn’t blame her at all.

“And he caught you,” Mary-Margret adds, looking off in the distance in a dreamy sort of way. She’s a total optimist and a big sucker for romance.

“Well, he tried,” Belle says. She still remembers suggesting her idea to Gold and him texting back to tell her she was a total idiot. She’d been mad but he’d been right; the cripple successfully catching the girl falling off the ladder was a bit of a stretch. “His leg gave out so we both just ended up in a heap on the ground. And of course after that we got to talking and I’m not really sure how it happened but by the time we left the library, we were a couple.” Her own words make her want to gag and a quick glance at Ruby shows that the other girl needs to consider finding the nearest trash can. But Mary-Margret is beaming.

“If anyone could help Gold change it’s you Belle,” she states. Oh, so she thinks Gold has changed. Well, Belle supposes she wouldn’t date him if he hadn’t. It’s a natural conclusion for Mary-Margret to jump to.

“Let’s just hope he’s not lying again,” Ruby states, getting a scowl from Mary-Margret that clearly says she thinks Ruby should be more supportive.

“Oh but he is,” Belle mutters to herself as the three split ways to go to class. And the worst part was he had her lying too. This was probably the worst decision she’d made in her entire life.


	2. Interested Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina confronts Gold about his new girlfriend and Belle introduces him to her friends.

Regina corners him in an abandoned hallway just as he’s about to go to lunch. “There’s a rumor going around that you’re dating Belle French,” she informs him. She stares at him with a calculating look and he knows instantly he won’t get anything by her. In truth he doesn’t want to. She’s his only friend, even if the rest of the school doesn’t know that. After all, it’s easier for the both of them to intimidate others if people believe they’re cold and heartless. Letting everyone know they are friends won’t help either of their images and besides, this way they can play off each other to get what they want. Oh, Regina’s giving you problems? I can help with that.

“I’m fake dating her as part of a deal,” he informs her. “To get Gary off her back.”

“And what are you getting?” Regina asks, falling into step next to him as he makes his way to his locker to get his lunch box.

“A cane,” he informs her. Her laugh startles him and he turns to look at her.

“Really Pearce? A cane? And the girl has no idea you’re doing all this just to help her? She must be a fool!” He scowls, turning to his locker which he just reached so he doesn’t have to look at her.

“You know what everyone thinks about us,” he scolds her as he starts putting in the combination to his rather fancy lock which he’d won off of some deal he can’t quite remember.

“True enough,” she agrees. “But there is one thing I want to know.” He can feel her questioning eyes boring into his back as the lock clicks open. He grabs his lunch box and makes sure his locker is locked up securely again before turning to face her. She obviously wants to ask this when she can see his reaction and that makes him very nervous. “Do you like her?”

He stalks off instantly, refusing to answer the question that he’s been ignoring ever since he first laid eyes on the beautiful Australian that had moved here three years ago. “You have class, and you’re already ten minutes late,” he calls over his shoulder as he walks off. Somehow he gets the feeling that, despite not responding in words, he had still managed to answer her question.

* * *

Bell knows she should probably be mad at them, but she actually finds it amusing that her friends purposely made sure the only empty seat at their table was the one between David and Ruby. She feels safer that way. After a while, the whole table actually forgets about Gold and ten minutes into lunch they’re all laughing at the tale of Ruby and Victor’s latest date, Victor blushing slightly as Ruby tells them all how he forgot to bring money on their dinner date.

“I reimbursed you,” he tries weakly. Belle is sure Ruby has some snarky comment ready, but before she can use it Gold is sliding into the empty seat at the table like he’s always belonged there.

“Sorry I’m late,” he addresses her. It’s almost like he doesn’t notice the sudden tenseness in the atmosphere or the way everyone is staring at him. Belle is sure he does notice though. He probably revels in it. “I was… delayed,” he explains. Belle can’t help but remember Gandalf telling Frodo that same thing and an image of  
Gold being held by an evil wizard pops into her head. She looks at him and the slight smirk he’s wearing makes her wonder if he chose those words on purpose.

“It happens,” she tells him, trying to tell herself she should be happy he’s here and that she shouldn’t want to just get up and leave. “I’m glad you’re here now.”

“I’m not,” Ruby says, glaring at Gold. The tenseness rises a few levels. Gold holds Ruby’s gaze for an instant before shocking everyone in the group by dropping his head and staring at the table. His shoulders have raised slightly like he expects to be hit and his head is bowed in a way that makes his long hair fall into his face, obscuring it from view.

“I know I’ve made mistakes,” he mutters, causing those farthest away from him to lean in to hear what he’s saying to them. “But now I’m trying to change.” He looks up then, giving her a small, slightly insecure smile and fear stabs her as she realize she’d totally be buying this if she didn’t know he was only trying to keep his end of the deal. “I don’t expect any of you to forgive me. In fact, I’m still shocked Belle’s managed to. But I would be grateful if you all would honor me by allowing me to eat with you. If you don’t want me to, I’ll understand.” He’s taking turns looking at everyone at the table but none of them can manage to look at anyone but him. He’s managed to make himself appear like some sort of victim, and the level of deceit that takes is making Belle feel nauseous. “I can just go back to my table if you wish.” He nods his head in the direction of the normally intimating table that he usually eats at, but he’s somehow managed to make it look lonely today instead.

“No, of course you can eat with us,” Mary-Margret tells him instantly. Victor shifts uncomfortably at that, and naturally Gold notices.

“No, I don’t want to cause anyone discomfort,” he mutters, already gathering his stuff. Belle wonders how on Earth he’s managed to make himself seem so small and helpless.

“I’m alright with it,” Archie speaks up next. The kind hearted boy couldn’t have done anything else.

“Fine by me,” David agrees under the watchful gaze of his girlfriend.

“If I find out you’re lying, you’ll regret it,” Ruby growls at him. “But if you’re not, you can say.” He has this cute hopeful look on his face now as he turns his gaze to the only one who hasn’t given consent: Victor. After all, he’s said she’s forgiven him, so naturally he has her consent.

“I can understand if you’re still scared of me,” he states, and he looks exactly like a lost puppy dog. And of course, with Ruby right there, he couldn’t have picked anything better to say. Victor was always desperate to impress his girlfriend.

“No, you’re good,” he states even if he does have a look that asks ‘What have I gotten myself into?’

“Thank you all so much,” Gold says, grinning like a predator who just killed his prey. Belle resists the urge to shiver. This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to her.

* * *

“What are you up to?” Belle asks him in the hallway when he’s about to leave for the day. He turns and stares into her angry eyes. He resists the urge to take a step back and instead frowns at her.

“What do you mean?” he questions. “All I’ve done is keep my cover as your boyfriend.”

“Yeah, and lied to all my friends,” she accuses. He flinches internally.

“It’s what I do,” he tells her coldly as he tries his best to remain calm. “Besides, you lied to them too,” he points out, smirking when she recoils a little. “Remember dearie, this was what you wanted.”

“What you made me want,” she argues back. Yes, that’s what he does to most people who have what he wants. Belle had been an accident though. He’d just seen that she’d needed help and come to the rescue like some stupid hero which he’ll never be. And then and only then had he realized that he wasn’t a hero and she’d asked for his price. He couldn’t tell her why he’d really done it; she’d hate him worse than she did now and besides, it would be bad for his reputation. So he’d asked for the only thing he still needed and here they are, Belle mad at him for manipulating her and he just trying to figure out how on Earth he’s talking to such an amazing human being.

“You can end the deal whenever you like,” he reminds her. She laughs humorlessly.

“Gary’s not that thick,” she tells him. No, the idiot jock does at least have one brain cell after all.

“Would you prefer to eat at my table and ditch your friends?” he questions, going for irritable when really his heart is screaming at him to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness. But no, he refuses to give anyone that kind of power over him.

“No,” she says indignantly, glaring at him. She still looks livid, but she also seems to be trying to find words to use to yell at him and thus he decides bowing out now might be his best option.

“If that’s all, then I have places to be,” he informs her before turning and walking away, his cane echoing in the empty hallway. He’s heard other students say that they find the noise terrifying, but he’s only ever heard it as a repeating accusation of ‘weak useless unlovable coward’. It appears Belle hears the former though, because she stays frozen to her spot as he limps away.

* * *

She couldn’t believe him. Sure intellectually she’d always known he was a bad guy. Everyone talks about how evil he is and how making a deal with him is making a deal with the devil. But forcing her into this deal? Lying to her friends about changing? It’s absurd. She sighs, flopping back on her bed. There has to be a way to fix this. Once she gives him the cane, it can all be over. But she can’t just end it; Gary will get suspicious and that’s the last thing she wants. She’s smart, surly she can figure something out. She could tell her friends the truth, but she’s afraid that either the word will get back to Gary or they’ll insist she end the deal with Gold right away, which won’t be good. No, she has to figure this out on her own.

She picks up the novel she’s reading and flips it open. Books are always where she’s gone for help. After all, where else would she find an answer to this impossible situation? And so she loses herself in the fictional world, trying to find peace therein. It doesn’t really help her at all.

* * *

He sighs as he comes into his room, flinging his backpack into a corner as he comes to sit on the bed. It’s Friday today. He hates Fridays. He glances around the room and curses under his breath when he sees the innocent looking white envelope laying on his nightstand. He collapses back onto his bed, dread accumulating in the pit of his stomach. He hates Fridays.


End file.
